Linux Kernel Types

July 6, 2006 — Nikesh

Monolithic1. Drivers compiled into kernel directly.2. Uses more memory because unused drivers take up space.3. Generally slows system down due to memory usage.4. However, communicates with hardware faster.

Modular1. Drivers are compiled as modules.2. Uses less memory since only necessary drivers can be loaded.3. More flexible because more drivers can be compiled as modules.